de·fin·i·tive
di-ˈfi-nə-tiv 
1
: serving to provide a final solution or to end a situation
a definitive victory
could not give a definitive diagnosis
2
: authoritative and apparently exhaustive
a definitive critical biography
3
a
: serving to define or specify precisely
established definitive guidelines for sentencing criminals
b
: serving as a perfect example : quintessential
a definitive bourgeois
A slow race is the definitive Leechfield competition. You win it by coming in last.—
Mary Karr
Mary Karr4
biology
: fully differentiated or developed
a definitive organ
5
of a postage stamp
: issued as a regular stamp for the country or territory in which it is to be used
definitively
adverb
definitiveness
noun
: a postage stamp issued as a regular stamp for the country or territory in which it is to be used : a definitive (see definitive entry 1 sense 5) postage stamp compare provisional
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Something definitive is complete and final. A definitive example is the perfect example. A definitive answer is usually a strong yes or no. A definitive biography contains everything we'll ever need to know about someone. Ella Fitzgerald's famous 1950s recordings of American songs have even been called definitive--but no one ever wanted them to be the last.
Synonyms
Examples of definitive in a Sentence
Adjective
We need a definitive answer to this question.
The court has issued a definitive ruling.
a definitive collection of the band's albums
Recent Examples on the Web
Ollie Barder, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
Everyone, from Alphabet to Apple to Amazon, wants to be the definitive guide to the world of entertainment choices.
—Jonathan Bing, Deadline, 22 Nov. 2024
Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2022
The road toward answering this question with a definitive yes doesn’t end with one game.
—Stephen Means, cleveland, 3 Sep. 2022
See all Example Sentences for definitive 
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Adjective
This is easily the definitive version of Megazone 23 available and one that comes at a more reasonable price.
—Ollie Barder, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
Everyone, from Alphabet to Apple to Amazon, wants to be the definitive guide to the world of entertainment choices.
—Jonathan Bing, Deadline, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
This past year was, by any definitive, a rough one for the cryptoasset industry, and ended with what looks like a massive fraud being uncovered in the form of FTX.
—Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2022
The road toward answering this question with a definitive yes doesn’t end with one game.
—Stephen Means, cleveland, 3 Sep. 2022
See all Example Sentences for definitive
Dictionary Entries Near definitive
Cite this Entry
“Definitive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/definitive. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
definitive
adjective
de·fin·i·tive
di-ˈfin-ət-iv
: fully differentiated or developed
a definitive organ
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